Category Archives: Infographics

Like us, you probably have fond childhood memories of playing Pooh Sticks in the sunshine with your friends, or dodging cars while you play Kerby. And if you’re of a certain age, there’s a good chance you remember the delights of Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt too.

The mid 1980’s were a turning point when it came to how kids spent their free time. 8-bit games consoles such as the NES from Nintendo and the original Master System from Sega revolutionised game play forever.

Recently, there has been an influx of nostalgic reboots of these classic games consoles, allowing a generation to relive their childhood by revisiting some of their long-forgotten but much cherished retro video games.

With that in mind, we thought to ourselves… why not combine the traditional with the not-so-traditional? So, we’ve taken some traditional childhood pastimes such as conkers, musical chairs and tag, then “redesigned” them as 8-bit video games… because who said a jump rope and pat-a-cake couldn’t be super cool, right?

Conkers Kid – Playground Revenge II

There’s a war going on and it’s all about survival of the fattest [conker]. Defeating the evil bully is the only way to become king of the playground. So polish up your best conkers, practice your swinging technique and get smashing!

Jump Rope Master

This game is a real test of endurance. Mastering the art of jump rope skipping with the added dangers of fireballs and flame throwers isn’t something you can take lightly – unless you have ninja-like reflexes and some rather nifty jumping skills of course.

Mega Kerby – Sidewalk III

Cars, cyclists, pedestrians… so many dangers and so little time! Not only do you have to dodge all the things without getting a telling off, but you need to beat your opponent in a game of skill too. Get your throwing arm prepped and ready!

Musical Chairs in Space 2020

Intergalactic tensions are growing. Every move you make is controlled by the mystic music from far off worlds. Listen carefully and pay full attention because tactical moves are the only way to keep your seat at the table. There is one constellation (ha, see what we did there?) prize though – when you do lose your seat, you get to watch it explode into a million tiny pieces.

Pat-A-Cake Wars

Cake, fire, and a chance to prove your god-like dexterity skills. The aim of the game is to bake a cake as fast as you can – but watch out for that nasty head chef, he’ll do anything to sabotage your baking so he can take all the credit!

Pooh Sticks Racer

Rev up your engines and learn how to ride the tide with Pooh Sticks Racer. Unpredictable and a game of whits, the only way to win is to navigate the rapids without losing your head. Make sure you remain eagle-eyed at all times too – rocks, waves and the occasional swirly-whirly will do whatever they can to end your race.

Tag-Man

Tag-Man is the name and not getting caught is the game. Duck, dive and do what you can to avoid the chaser, find power ups to run faster, but watch out for the road blocks – getting stuck could mean game over!

Have you ever stumbled upon a derelict building and though about how much of an eye sore it is? What about that dilapidated old park bench that could do with being replaced?

If you’re into urban exploring, finding beauty in something that you’d ordinarily find grotesque can be a magical thing, and looking deeper into what these spaces offer can open up a whole new world, especially from a design perspective.

When decorating, it’s common to work out a colour scheme before you start. With that in mind, we’ve decided to take those unloved buildings and spaces, and draw inspiration to create a stunning set of 10 unique colour palettes. In addition to this, each colour palette comes with its own set of Hex codes, perfect for those designers looking to get creative and delve into the world of rust, overgrown structures and exposed brickwork on a more granular level.

So, if you’re looking for some design inspiration, check out our colour palettes inspired by abandoned places below. You never know, urbexing might just become your new favourite pastime too!

YARD

Something as simple as an old, wooden bench can tell a thousand stories. Who sat there? What thoughts were those that sat there thinking when they gazed out in contemplation? The weathering of the wood and the life that’s sprung from it over the years, provides an array of natural hues which are perfect for those looking for an earthy, muted colour scheme.

TIME PLEASE

Popping down the local for a swift pint on a Sunday, might seem like a distant memory for many. The surprisingly comforting scent of tobacco-aged decor and the dust from an open fire providing a somewhat smoky haze, are long gone as times have changed. But what’s been left behind provides a plethora of classic tones that are familiar and cosy.

RUST

When metal starts to oxidise, the changes in structure and colour can be fascinating. The stark, cold surface transforms into what looks like a birds-eye view of a barren, sun-dried landscape. The corrosion causes craters and pits to form; adding a new dimension to the shades of lush orange, red and yellows, providing you with a warming, fiery colour palette.

RECLAIMED

There’s something quite magical about man-made structures being overwhelmed by nature. New life sprouting from the forgotten, blanketing the foreign object and rightfully reclaiming that space as its own. In an almost firework fashion, an explosion of lush greens and subtle browns create the perfect colour palette for anyone wanting to reconnect with the earth.

GRAFFITI

You’d be hard pushed to walk though a city and not find a burst of graffiti adorning the walls of an underpass, building or bridge. While many might see it as a random act of vandalism, the shock of bold colours and dystopian scrawl wrangle a sense of passion and youth; creating a colour palette that’s ideal for anyone looking to inject some energy into their design.

EVACUATE

A once much-loved home now left to ruin. Dusty memories fading away to nothing more than a wilted mess. A sad yet beautiful image of a quickly forgotten past, sun bleached and weary with mellow tones of blue and yellow, creating a feeling of calm after the storm.

DRAINED

A place once full of colour and fun, the cavernous, empty space of an old swimming pool is monotone and quiet. The colours drained like the pool itself. Hollow blues and shades of grey are understated and neutral; fitting background colours for anyone that would like to accessorise their space in a more ostentatious way.

CLOCK OUT

Busy and industrious, the tea breaks and idle chit chat with much loved colleagues now a distant memory. A shell of the machine it formally was, the exposed pipes and bare walls leave a milky, dream-like colour palette. Luxurious and inviting, the colour palette inspired by an old warehouse is far removed from the toilsome environment it once was.

BRICKWORK

Almost skeletal, the deeper inner layers of a building exposed for all to see. The bright orange clay of bare brickwork is harsh against the years of dull, grey rendering. The mix of colours is striking and allows you to add depth to your design.

BETTER TIMES

A grand old house, emptied and deserted with nothing but a piano for entertainment. A reminder of the good times passed and a secret treasure left for someone new to discover. Light and airy, the mix of cool blue hues and nostalgic caramel create a calm yet tentative colour palette.

Ever wondered how the price of pizza differs around the world? We’ve put together a graphic looking at how many slices of pizza you’d get for $1 in a variety of countries around the globe. We’ve compared the average prices for a large Margherita to keep things fair and consistent. The graphic also includes information about any unique or interesting pizzas you can get in the region because as well as price differences, some of the toppings were very intriguing.

At a lofty 830m high, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. It cost $1.5 billion to build and took almost six years to finish, which is almost as long as it took us to recreate these magnificent pieces of architecture as pixel art (I joke, but seriously, it took a long time!).

Thankfully, not all the world’s iconic buildings are as complex as the Burj Khalifa! They come in a variety of shapes and sizes and we hoped to capture, and compare, them in a new and interesting way.

Sure, illustrations or photos might have made our lives easier, but in the end we opted for a pixel art approach, at a scale of 1 pixel : 1 metre squared. And believe us when we say, each pixel felt like reconstructing the original brick-by-brick!

The actual Taj Mahal took over 20 years to build and looks just as impressive at dawn as our pixel version does.

Even a low-detail process like pixel art can capture the essence of each building, no matter the size. The huge 830 x 150 pixel Burj Khalifa is impressive, but there’s beauty in the smaller buildings too. In fact, recreating all these structures gave us an opportunity to study their form in intimate detail.

Saint Basil’s Cathedral may only reach a tiny 48px high, but there is beauty in those blocks.

Take some time to admire the pixel-patterning on the domes of Saint Basil’s, or bask in the digital sunlight drenching the tiny Taj Mahal.

For greater detail simply hover over the image on desktop, or tap and hold to use the zoom tool on mobile and tablet. Please enjoy and share!

Want to download them as a resource for your website or next design project? No problem, download the set here (please include attribution to Climadoor).

We all know how competitive we get when it comes to playing board games with our family. You could be having a lovely Christmas Day, lots of lovely new gifts, a nice wholesome dinner, a few glasses of bubbly, feet up on the sofa with the tin of chocolates next to you… it’s all going well until someone suggests a game of Monopoly. Board games are a fun tradition but let’s face it, we all want to win. Monopoly had to create a hotline in recent years, where experts were on hand with the official rule book, after it was revealed 51% of games end in a row.

But it’s not just a Christmas problem, you never know when someone might next suggest bringing the board games out of the loft… after a Sunday roast, when you can’t find anything to watch on tele, when the kids have gone to bed… Board game gate could happen anytime and unless you want to spend the rest of eternity being reminded by Uncle John about that time he stole all your money and left you bankrupt, you better get clued up.

We’ve created some fun graphics to show you the sneaky tricks that will help you win at the most popular board games, every time! Say goodbye to losing and get ready to watch the smirk disappear from Uncle John’s face…

When it comes to Star Wars, it’s ALL about the family and the big family reveals: Darth Vader to Luke: “No, I am your father”, Leia is Luke’s sister [shock: spoiler!]. Kylo Ren is Han Solo’s son and Vader’s grandson (Ben Solo) etc etc.

Whilst we know some of the backstory of our characters, there is potentially a lot left to be revealed in the new movies.

Will we see an appearance from Boba Fett, or one of his kids? Is Jar Jar Binks a secret Sith Lord (or even, dare we say it Supreme Leader Snoke). Who are Rey’s parents?

Fett: Boba Fett and his father Jango are technically related to every single clone trooper ever created. Arguably the biggest family in the galaxy. Proud of their Mandalorian roots, where family means a lot, but a collected bounty means more. “MORTUS VIVERE: DEAD OR ALIVE”

There is a shortage of skilled workers in Britain; from plumbers and builders to engineers. Construction and technical companies have blamed the recession for a lack of apprentices and have called on the government and schools to promote trades. Despite this, demand for workers in this area has never been higher. So, how’s the state of tradesman industry looking overall?

Back in 2013, only 7,280 apprentices completed their training across all trades whilst the training body estimates that 35,000 are needed just to meet demand.

The Royal Academy of Engineering suggests Britain will need more than one million new engineers and technicians by 2020. This mean will mean doubling the current annual figure of engineering graduates and apprentices. There is a shortage in all sectors from transport to high-value manufacturing.

The construction industry is growing extremely quickly compared to the rest of the economy:

There is an increased demand of 18% for private housing and 8% for private commercial sector builds

Those benefiting most from this are workers such as site managers, engineers, architects and surveyors – with earnings increasing twice as quickly as the national average

Plumbers in the nation’s capital can now earn up to £100,000 a year

So, despite an increase in demand and in pay, why is it that so few apprentices and graduates are coming through in the traditional trade industries?

A recent survey of students aged 14 to 18 years of age (80% male, 20% female to maintain statistical integrity) found that 94% of students were not interested in pursuing a career in the trades.

Why don’t kids find trades ‘cool’?

53% said working in trades doesn’t interest them

25% said they were not ‘mechanically inclined’

24% said they are not good at fixing things

21% said they are not educated enough about the industries

15% didn’t think that trades were ‘cool’

10% said the trades weren’t high-tech enough

In addition to this, 54% of young people believed that working in computers led to a better future, 37% believed working in an office gains you more respect and 25% believed that trade jobs were ‘old-fashioned’. That means fitting internal bi-fold doors wouldn’t be too popular at the moment – can you believe it?!

Is it easy to find a reliable tradesman these days?

85% of people think that it’s not easy to find a trusted tradesman

11% of people think it’s not difficult at all, with 5% unsure of the difficulty

How people are finding tradesmen

81% of tradesmen are personally recommended by a friend or neighbour

79% of people want to know the cost of the work up-front

67% check that a tradesman belongs to a trade association

63% do an online search for reviews

61% check the company or tradesman’s website

59% ensure the tradesman promises a receipt

39% visit a former client’s project/home to check out work for themselves (if external)

Only 1% of people would not do any checks

Why do people hire tradesmen?

60% of people say that a job is too difficult to complete themselves

53% are seeking a professional finish

28% do not have time to complete a job

Of the tradesmen hired by homeowners in the UK

85% listened carefully to what they required

84% showed up at the agreed time

51% used polite language

39% were older and more experienced

38% took their shoes off at the door

14% used impressive, modern tools

13% used business cards

12% wore branded overalls

4% were younger with more recent training

Tips for finding more work as a trader

Unfortunately, there is always going to be a relative degree of prejudice when it comes to looking for a skilled tradesman; an older worker may appear more trusted due to their experience. Therefore, especially if you’re younger, it’s essential to do the following things to turn leads into work:

be attentive; show a genuine interest in their plans

be punctual; show up on time or, preferably, 5 minutes early to every appointment

be polite; refrain from swearing

be courteous; take your shoes off at the door

be organised; write customers a quote quickly – and make it accurate!

be pro-active; if you’ve done a good job, ask customers if they can leave you a review online

be technological; have a simple but effective website

Whilst it’s impossible to ‘be older’, acting maturely and dressing smartly can help you to appear more experienced.

Things that aren’t as important and could save your business money are:

impressive, modern tools: are they really necessary?

Branded overalls: they’re only going to get dirty, and there isn’t a heavy importance placed on them by homeowners

Business cards, however, are always essential – even if it’s not a deciding factor in earning you your current job. Remember – the biggest number of leads are generated through word-of-mouth – if they can give your card to someone else that needs work, you’ve expanded your reach simply by doing a good job.

Jokes on the job are standard procedure for tradesmen during a hard day’s graft. We’ve rounded up some of the funniest safe-for-work pranks there are, so whether you’re an experienced tradesman looking for a practical joke to play, or if you’re an apprentice looking for tricks to avoid, we’ve got you covered below.

#1 – The Cement Strongman: If you have a Facebook account, you’ll surely have seen a video of this happening to a poor apprentice at some point in time. “Are you strong enough to lift a bag of cement above your head?” is a challenge in itself, and it’s a surefire way to get you covered in powdered cement if you don’t have your wits about you.

#2 – The Fake Shopping List: Always be wary that you’re being asked to purchase something from this shopping list. You’ll rarely be handed the whole list of things to get, usually just one – so that it doesn’t look too obvious.

#3 – The Dave Game: Always ensure that you either have your phone on you, or that you have a secure passcode that your colleagues don’t know – preferably both. The Dave game is lethal – particularly if you actually know someone called Dave…and who doesn’t?

#4 – The Bookie: Nipping to the bookie to place a bet on a tip can be commonplace for tradesmen that are regularly on-the-go. Watch out for old classics such as “Hoof Hearted” – if you don’t get it now, you will after reading it aloud a few times.

#5 – The Food Order: If you’re going to get lunch from the supermarket, always think twice about what your colleagues have asked you to fetch for them. A leg of salmon, really?

#6 – Mustard Donuts: Oooh, this is a good one. Buy plain donuts and then get a bottle of sauce that has a pointed tip; mustard works well for this usually. Poke the pointed tip and fill the donuts with a ‘delicious’ surprise. Tell everyone they’re custard!

#7 – The Dirty Van: There are tonnes of great one liners that you can write on a dirty van. Many are well-known, but are still amusing nonetheless.

#8 – The Blockade: Never trust a portaloo. That motto goes far beyond the site you’re working on, too.

#9 – The Rock Shock: Do you use a radio which has the volume on a dial? If so, crank it up to full volume whilst the radio is off. Bonus points if you’ve tuned it into a rock station. The next person to turn the radio on will get a loud shock!

#10 – The ‘Fancy a Brew’?: This is all about playing the long game. If you’re making the brews, make someone a normal cuppa at first, but over time add more and more cold water to each one. The confusion is more than worth it as they start to suspect something is going on.